"Senior Sister, Third Junior Sister, don't scare the Junior Sister."
Mo Du cleared her throat at the opportune moment. Seeing the trio separate, she introduced them one by one.
"This is Qian Yun, a fifth-year student at the Illusion Arts Academy and our Senior Sister. She'll graduate next year."
The white-haired Senior Sister grinned at Meng Lian, making the younger girl's cheeks flush pink.
Having just engaged in such an enthusiastic spar with someone of comparable strength, Meng Lian's heart was still pounding wildly.
"And this is Fei Xing, a second-year student at the Illusion Arts Academy and your Third Junior Sister."
Fei Xing was a blue-haired loli with a flat chest. Though her small face wore a disdainful expression, Meng Lian could clearly sense that the girl's gaze remained locked on their Senior Sister.
A gentle Senior Sister and a tsundere loli—such a classic combination!
"Hello, Senior Sister and Third Junior Sister," Meng Lian said with a sweet smile. "I'm Meng Lian. Please take good care of me."
"Hehehe, if only our Junior Sister could provide wake-up calls with facial cleanser... Ouch! Second Junior Sister, be gentle!"
"I told you to stop hanging around that disrespectful old geezer. You always say such outrageous things."
Mo Du expressionlessly withdrew her fist, while Qian Yun offered an awkward smile.
The atmosphere in this academy is truly strange.
But why am I so excited?
Meng Lian felt an inexplicable sense of excitement, as if she had finally found her kindred spirits.
"Exactly! Junior Sister just joined the academy, and you're already harassing her? Aren't you ashamed?" Fei Xing chimed in, sounding like a little adult.
"Aiya, Little Star is right! I'll be more careful from now on~" Qian Yun replied with a mischievous grin, hugging Fei Xing. Her ample chest pressed against Fei Xing's forehead, making the younger girl's face flush crimson. Fei Xing struggled half-heartedly, but Qian Yun simply winked playfully at Meng Lian, who blushed in response.
This Senior Sister is too skilled,Meng Lian thought. We're not even on the same level.
"Waiter, two coffees, two milks, and a blueberry cupcake, please," Mo Du said, ignoring Qian Yun and Fei Xing's antics, as if this were a common occurrence between them.
"Junior Sister, I heard from Second Junior Sister that you went *there* last night? Impressive! To reach that place on your first night after your Witch Transformation? Your talent is extraordinary! I remember it took me a whole week to get there after my own transformation."
Qian Yun sipped her hot coffee while Fei Xing munched noisily on her blueberry cupcake. Qian Yun glanced at Meng Lian, gradually steering the conversation toward the topic. This story is hosted at novelping . com.
"I was there for two weeks," Mo Du said quietly.
"I was there for a month," Fei Xing replied, looking gloomy.
"Ah? Are you talking about last night's dream? But what exactly was that place? From what you're saying, it doesn't sound like a dream, but a real place?" Meng Lian asked, puzzled. She didn't quite understand what Qian Yun and the others were talking about.
"Illusionary Realm Nordrin~"
"Illusionary Realm Nordrin."
"Illusionary Realm Nordrin!"
Almost simultaneously, Qian Yun, Mo Du, and Fei Xing spoke in unison.
"Aiya, Second Junior Sister, why don't you explain? Little Star and I will just listen from the side," Qian Yun said, hugging Fei Xing with a contented smile.
Mo Du rolled her eyes at Qian Yun before turning to Meng Lian, who still looked confused. "The place you dreamed of isn't exactly a dream, but it's not a real place either. It's an Illusionary Realm we call Illusionary Realm Nordrin."
"Illusionary Realm Nordrin is a necessary passage for anyone walking the Illusionary Path. In other words, only by truly entering Illusionary Realm Nordrin can one truly set foot on the Path of Illusionary Arts."
"Within Illusionary Realm Nordrin, we assume entirely new identities and backgrounds. Everything that happens there is real; you can treat it as a genuine world."
"But there's one thing you must be extremely careful about: never let anyone around you realize you're not from their world. If they discover you're an imposter who's taken over someone else's place, the World Will of Illusionary Realm Nordrin will isolate you from it, making it nearly impossible to re-enter."
"Is Illusionary Realm Nordrin really that important? Can't I just not go?" Meng Lian couldn't help but ask.
Mo Du shook her head. "It's crucial, especially for those of us who walk the Path of Illusion. Junior Sister, haven't you noticed any major differences between Illusionary Realm Nordrin and the real world?"
Differences? Does having a sister who squeezed me dry for five days count?
Joking aside, Meng Lian quickly realized what Mo Du meant.
"Time?!"
"Exactly, time," Mo Du nodded. "In Nordrin, time flows several times faster than in the real world. You can use it to study magic from the real world, saving us a tremendous amount of time."
"Of course, Nordrin itself is an illusionary realm. For those of us on the Illusionary Path, learning Illusionary Arts there is twice as effective. You could think of Nordrin as a cheat code for practitioners of the Illusionary Path." Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
"It's a pity you've only just undergone Witch Transformation and haven't started learning magic yet. Otherwise, you'd understand how vital Nordrin is to us."
Mo Du's expression filled with regret as she spoke.
Meng Lian wore an awkward smile.
Damn it! Everyone else in Nordrin was studying every minute they could, while I was just lying around for five days!
"Oh dear, Second Junior Sister, have you forgotten that our identities in Nordrin are different? After all, if you're unlucky enough to be a wanted criminal in Nordrin, how would you have time to study?" Qian Yun interjected, her smile stiffening as if recalling some unpleasant memories.
"That's true."
Mo Du, as the Royal Library administrator in Nordrin, had plenty of time to study. She had clearly overlooked this.
"What's Junior Sister's identity? You don't need to be specific, just give a general idea. Even to your closest companions, you shouldn't reveal your Nordrin name or anything like that."
Her?
How was she supposed to know? She'd spent the entire five days in bed. Who the hell knew what her identity was?
"Well... my identity is a bit complicated. Sorry..."
Not knowing what else to say, Meng Lian could only laugh awkwardly.
I can't exactly tell them I was bedridden for five days, can I?
"It's fine. I was being too forward," Mo Du said, shaking her head, her expression unchanged.
"Have you all forgotten Nordrin's greatest purpose?" Fei Xing interjected, having finished her small cake.
"Ah, Little Star, not everyone is like you. That 'greatest purpose' is practically useless to us," Qian Yun sighed, looking helpless. Even Mo Du showed a rare flicker of envy.
"Greatest purpose? What's that?" Meng Lian asked, surprised that Nordrin still held secrets.
"Divine Artifacts," Fei Xing said slowly, licking the cream from her lips. "Within Nordrin, there are extremely rare Magic Artifacts—though here, they're called Divine Artifacts."
"And these Divine Artifacts can be brought into the real world for us to use."